Method of and apparatus for treating transparent material



July 1, 1925. 1,544,100

w. E. SWIFT us'raon OF AND APPARATUS FOR \TREATING wmmsmnau'r TE IAL Filed June 25, 192 4s h'eets-sheet 1 ,fi'avrzin- July 7, 1925.

, 1,544,700 7 w. E. SWIFT I METHOD OF AND APBARATUS FOR TREATING TRANSPARENT MATERIAL Filed June 25, 19255 4 Sheets-Sheet, 2

July 7, 1925. 1,544,700

w. E. SWIFT METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TRANSPARENT MATERIAL 5 Filed June 25, 192 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 wz z far/$72267 July 7, 1925.

w. E. SWIFT METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TRANSPARENT MATERIAL Filed June 25 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A Z /mm Guard Patented July 7, 1925.

, UNITED Sufism-MT orrice.

WILLARD R; SWIFT, or WORCESTER, MAssAcHUsErTs ssIeNoR 'ro UNITED s'ra'rns ENVELOPE" conn ng/or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A ooRro A'rroN or 1 MAINE.

METHOD or ND APPARATUS FQR 'rREATmG TRANSPARENT MATERIAL.

Application. filed June 25, i923. Serial. Nb.,s47,5so.

To aZZ whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD E. SWIFT, a

, ings, is a specification.

The present invent on relates to the treat-- ment of transparent material for thepurpose of reducing the glare, or reflection'of light, from' its surface. particularly applicable to the treatment of such material as is used for thetransparent patches or panels ofv-so-called window envelopes,i. e., the typeof envelope having an opening therein over which'is cemented parent or semi-transparent material. In window envelopes as thus manufactured, a troublesome feature is the glare, or

reflection oflight, from the surface of the transparent patch material, this giving rise no objection onthe part of those required to handle numbers of such. envelopes, as for instance, in the, sorting'of mail, particularly when the light falls at a small angle from elimination of this glare, without substantial sacrifice of the transparency of the panel material, is the primary object of the present invention-,thesame involving the subjection of the material, preferably before cutting it into patches, to an abrading action adapted to produce a matt on substantially glareless surface.

The essential features of this treatment, together with one form of apparatus for effecting the same, are fully described. hereinafter, reference being had to the accomp'anying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of apparatus embodying the invention. 1 r

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional viewof said apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view, substantially on the line 3- 3o f Fig.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation, as viewed from the left hand side of Flg. 1. I

The invention is a covering of glassine paper .or other transfor a centrally dis-posed shaft 3. A cylinthe' plane of the surface. The reduction or Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged section al view, substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. o f l Figs. 6, 7 and8 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views, taken substantially on the lines 6-'6, 7-7 and 88, respectively, 'of Fig. 2.

Fig.9 is an enlarged detail viewof certaicrl driving mechanism for the machine, an i v 1 Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the driving parts of a roll or spindle on, which the treated material is accumulated.

Like reference characters refer. to like parts inthe different figures.

As best shown in Figs. 1, 2' and 9, the

frame of the machine is constituted by a pair of spaced upright substantially annular members 1, 1, having inwardly disposed standards 2, 2, the latter providing bearings drical drumd, Figs. 2, .3 and 6, is connected drum to provide a substantially dust tight running joint between said parts. Y I

Asshown in Flgs. l and9, the drum 4' is to rotate with theshaft 3 byv means of rotated from a-motor or other driving device 7, the shaft 8 of which carries a worm 9 in mesh with a worm gear 10 on'a counter--v shaft 11; a pulley 12 on said countershaft 11 has a belt connection 13- with another pulley 14 on the outer end of shaft 3. The; frame members 1, 1 each provide upper and. lower lateral extensions 15, 15 and 16, 16, the former being slotted at 17 to provide rotative support for a supply spool or'roll 18 of the material to be treated, and the latter providing suitable bearings 19, 19, Fig.10, for the driving devices of a second spool or roll on which said material is accumulated after passage around the drum 4.

The driving shaft 8 also carries a spro ck et wheel 20, having'a sprocket chain con nection 21 with a sprocket wheel 22 on shaft 23, Figs. 1, 2 and 8. The shaft 23 carries a driving sprocket 24 for a chain 25 which serves for theactuation of the takeupspool,

as well as for the actuation of the abrading and brushing instrumentalities of the machine, said chain 25 being operatively associated, respectively, with a sprocket 26 of the takeup mechanism, Fig. 10, a sprocket 27 of the abrasive supply mechanism, Fig. 5, a sprocket 28 of the reciprocatory abrading shoes, Fig. 3, and sprockets 29 and 30 of the brushing mechanisms shown in Figs. 6 and vices.

The hub of the sprocket 27 provides a bevel gear 31 that meshes with another bevel gear 32 on a short vertical spindle 33, the latter carrying a driving plate 34 which is used to impart agitation to a box or container 35 for abrasive material, such as powdered pumice, zinc oxide, or the like. To this'end, as shown in Fig. 5, a rod or link 36 connects the plate 34 with said box, the latter being continuously shaken thereby so as to discharge its contents through a screened bottom 37 directly onto the web of material that is carried by the drum 4. Plates 38 attached to said box, are of sufiicient width to overlie the frame members 1, thus providing a shield against the escape of the abrasive powder, and the supporting bars 39, 39 of said box which extend between the frame members 1, 1, as shown in Fig. 2, are respectively equipped one with a plate 40 having a flexible strip 41 hearing against drum 4, and the other with a removable cover 42, extending for a considerable distance to inclose the abrading de- In this way, acomplete' inclosure is formed to prevent the escape of the pow dered abrasive material, the side walls of which are constituted by the inner faces of frame members 1, 1, the outer wall by the cover 42, and the parts associated with box 35, and the inner wall by the drum 4 itself, in conjunction with the plates 6, 6. One end'wall for this inclosure is constituted by r the plate 40, and at the other or lower end,

the inclosure is connected by a passage 43 with an exhaust channel 44, the latter providing suitable means, not shown, for drawing off all the dust and powdered material that results from the abrading treatment.

Such treatment is effected by rubbing the surface of the material, during its travel on the drum 4, with the abrasive powder that is introduced from the box 35, a plurality of rubbing devices being employed, each preferably consisting of a: block 45 having a facing 46 of leather, or other suitable ma terial, asshown in Fig. 3. Each block 45 is carried by a reciprocatory bar 47, the latter beingslidable longitudinally in guidlng members 48, 48 that are laterally re ceived in enlarged openings 49 of the frame members 1, 1. Springs 50, 50, acting on said guiding members 48, 48, are employed to draw each rubbing device inwardly, thereby to press yieldingly against the surface of the material on drum 4. Each bar 47, on its forwardly projecting end, has a pin 51, said pins 51 being engaged'in pairs, as shown in Fig. 4, by the slotted ends of rocking levers 52, 52; the latter, here shown as two in number, have their arms 53, 53 connected by a link 54, whereby to transmit movement from one to the other. One of said levers 52 provides a roll or follower 55 which is engaged by a track cam 56 secured to the rod or sprocket 28. In this way, the rotation of the sprocket 28 is causedto impart a reciprocatory movement to all of the bars'47, it being noted that adjacent rubbing blocks 45 move oppositely so as to balance and thereby nullify the forces that would otherwise tend to deflect the travelling material laterally. To prevent access of the abrasive powder to the bearing surfaces, suitable shields 57, 57 are provided for the retention of spring pressed pads 58 in'wiping contact with each bar 47.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, provision is made for brushing the surface of the travelling material after its subjection to the rubbing action of the first pair of shoes or blocks 45, the sprocket wheel 29 for this purpose being secured to a shaft 59 which is journalled in suitable bearings 60, 60 pro- 7 vided by the frame members 1, 1. The shaft 59' carries a cylindrical brush 61, the action ofwhichagainst the travelling web is to dislodge and remove powder and dust resulting from the first abrasion, said powder and dust being withdrawn from the inclosure through the passage 43. As before, the bearing surfaces are protected from dust by the devices-57 and 58, above described.

Additional brushing devices are provided for-action on the material after the final abrasion thereof, such devices, as indicated at 62 and63 respectively, Figs. 2, 7. and 8, being of substantially the same form as the brush-61, one being carried by a shaft 64, to which the sprocket 30 is secured, and the other being carried by shaft 23, which acts as the actuator for the chain 25. These two devices, as shown, are preferably rotated in opposite directions, the morethoroughly to remove from the surface of the material all of said powder and dust,.the latter being drawn off, as heretofore described, through the exhaust channel 44. The web thus treated is guided off the drum by a roller 65 and thence is wound up on a spool or cylinder 66, Fig. 10, that derives its rotation in the following manner from sprocket 26.

The sprocket 26 is secured to a member 67, which is free to turn on a shaft 68, the la-tte r being journalled in the bearing 19 provided'by the front frame member 1. The rotation of sprocket 26 and member 67 is transmitted in greater or less degree to the shaft 68 by a friction clutch connection 69 between member 67 and a member 70, keyed to said shaft. The spindle 71 of spool 66 has one end receivable in a slot 72 formed in the inner end of shaft other bearing 19, this construction permitting the substitution of one spool for an necessar sli 38 6 between the drivin and a driven parts as the diameter of the accumulating roll of web material on the spool 66 gradually increases. The connection of the spoolor cylinder 66 to its spindle 71 is by a plurality of pivotally mounted spring pressed pawls'o-r dogs 75, 75, Figs. 2 and 10, carried by said spindle andengaging the inner periphery of the spool, to permit removal of the spool from the spindle and to adapt the latter to the driving of spools of different internal diameters.

I claim,

1. In apparatus means for moving a web of transparent material longitudinally, means for depositing abrasive powder on said moving web, and means for alternately rubbing and brushing the surface on which said abrasive powder is deposited.

I 2. In apparatus of the class described, means for moving a web of transparent material longitudinally, means 101' supplying abrasive material to said moving web, and means for transversely rubbing the surface to which said material is supplied.

3. In apparatus of the class described, an

abrading chamber, means for moving trans-- the movement of said transparent material;

5. In apparatus of the class described, an abrading chamber, means for moving a web of transparent material therethrough, and means for subjecting said web in said chamber to abrasive action by transverse rubbing thereto.

6. The herein described method of treat ing transparent material to render its surface matt, which consists in applying abra sive powder to said surface, and then alternately rubbing and brushing the same.

of the class described,,

7. The herein described method of treating a moving web of transparent material, which consists in applying abrasive powder to its surface and then rubbing said surface in directions transverse to the movement of said web. 1

8. The herein described method of treating a moving web of transparent material to render its surface'matt, which consists in applying abrasive powder to'said surface, and then rubbing the same in. opposite directions transversely to the movement of said web.

9. In apparatus of the class described, a rotary member for procuring movement of a web of transparent material, means cooperating with said member to provide a peripheral abrading chamber through which said material is moved, means for supplying abrasive powder to the material in said chamber, and means for alternately rubbing and brushing the surface of the material as it moves through said chamber.

-10. In apparatus of the class described, a rotary member for procuring movement of a web of transparent material, means cooperating with said member to provide a peripheral abrading chamber through which said material is moved, means for supplying abrasive powder to the material in said chamber, and means in said chamber for alternately rubbing and brushing the material on tie periphery of said rotary member.

11. In apparatus of the class described, a rotary member for procuring movement of a web of transparent material, means cooperating with said member to provide a peripheral abrading chamber through which said material is moved, means for supplying abrasive powder to the material in said chamber, means for alternately rubbing and brushing the surface of the material as it moves through said chamber, and means for exhausting the products of abrasion from said chamber.

12. In apparatus of the class described, means for moving a web of transparent material longitudinally, means for supplying abrasive material to said moving web, and means for transversely rubbing the surface to which said material is supplied, said means comprising laterally reciprocated members actuated by a link motion.

13. In apparatus of the class described, means for moving a web of transparent material longitudinally, means for supplying abrasive material to said moving web, and means for transversely rubbing the surface to which said material is supplied, said means comprising laterally reciprocated blocks .spring pressed against said surface.

Dated this 18th day of June, 1923.

WILLARD E. SWIFT. 

